Draft-rigging.



D. S. BARROWS.

DRAFT RIGGING.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 30.1917.

Patented Feb. 4, 1919.

DONALD S. BABROWS, OF ROCHESTER, NEW

COMPANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW

YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE T. H. SYIVIINGTON YORK, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

DRAFT-RIGGING.

i 2933MB.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 30, 1917. Serial No. 177,855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Doxano S. Bannows, a citizen of the United States.residing at Rochester, State of New York, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in. Draft- Rigging; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full. clear. and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The invention relates to the art of railway draft rigging and moreparticularly to a follower block designed for use with that type ofdraft rigging, in which one or more of the movable elements areoperatively'connected to the car coupler by means of a transverselyextending key.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a key receivingfollower block having its end walls or faces connected by a plurality ofwebs or flanges so arranged and disposed with. reference to the endwalls, that the follower block while being comparatively light in weightis nevertheless sufliciently strong to adequately resist all loads towhich it may be subjected in service. To this end. the main feature ofthe invention. broadly stated, comprises a key receiving follower blockin which the load placed upon the block in service is transmitted fromface to face by a plurality of webs or flanges preferably arranged so asto form a hollow column, the walls of the column extending in thedirection of the applied force so as to thereby obtain the greateststrength with the least weight of metal.

There are other featuresof the invention relating to form and details ofconstruction of the device as will be ap arent from the more detaileddescription of taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whichhave been chosen to illustrate the invention, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a car underframe showing akey connected draft rigging which embodies the invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of one of the follower blocks,

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the follower shown in Fig. 2.

in the county of Monroe and the same when I Throughout the specificationand drawings like parts are designated by like reference characters.

While I have for convenience illustrated Patented Feb. 4L, 31%119. I

my invention in connection with the key a connected draft rigging of thetype shown and described in the patent to Wright ct al., No. 841,757, itis to be understood that I do not limit my invention to this form ofdraft rigging.

The numeral 1 designates the car coupler, 2, 2 are the draft sills tothe inner faces of which by means of the rivets 3 are connected thecheek plates 4. The numeral 5 designates a cementional form of tiecasting connected to the inner faces of the draft sills 2 adjacent theinner ends of the cheek castings 4 by the rivets 3. The draft links 6, 6which may be employed in place of the equivalent yoke, serve tooperatively connect the coupler to the draft rigging, these links areeach preferably provided adjacent their opposite ends and on their inneror adjacent faces with inwardly extending bosses or shoulders 7. 7 toprovide a larger bearing area at the ends of the links to engage theadjacent edges of the draft keys. The rear end of the coupler shank isadapted to contact normally with the forward face of the front follower8. the inner or rear face of this follower being adapted to contact withthe cushioning mechanism. which may be of the type shown comprisingouter and inner coiled sprin s 9 and 10, respectively. The forward aceof the rear follower 11 is adapted to engage the rear end of thecushioning mechanism.

In order to operatively connect the draft rigging to the draft sills, aplurality of transversely extending draft keys 12 are provided, theforward key being adapted to extend through alined slots in the coupler,draft links, cheek plates and draft sills. Likewise, the intermediateand rear keys are each adapted to pass through the adjacent follower andthrough alined slots in the draft links, cheek plates and draft sills.

Since the followers 8 and 11 are substantially identical except for theslight taper indicated at 13 on the rear follower 11, which taper isprovided to enable the sides of the follower block to clear the bosses 7on the adjacent faces of the draft links 6,

when links provided with bosses are used. it will be only necessary todescribe one of these followers. As shown in the detail views of thefront follower 8, each follower is preferably provided with a pair ofspaced end walls 14, 15, which may be provided on their opposite faceswith circular lugs or projections 16 and 17, 17, respectively. The lug16 may serve as a centering mechanism in connection with the usualaperture.

in the coupler stem, while the lugs 17 are adapted to serve as centeringmembersfor the springs of the cushioning mechanism. The end wall 14 ispreferably adapted to conform to the rear end of the coupler stem, whilethe face 15 may, for example, be extended vertically as shown to enablethe same to cooperate with .the type of cushioning mechanism hereillustrated.

The end walls or faces 14 and 15 are preferabl connected by a pluralityof upright we s or flanges 18, 18, WlllCh form the side walls of thefollower block, these flanges 18 are connected to the respective endwalls adjacent the lateral edges thereof and are each provided with analined keyreceivin slot 19. The slots 19 may be, and pre erably are,surrounded on the outer faces of the flanges'18 with a reinforcing ribor boss 20. A pair of transversely extending flanges 21, are suitablyconnected to the end walls 14 and 15 intermediate the said upright flanes 18, 18, these flanges 21 are also preferably connected, respectively,to the upper and lower edges of the said flanges 18.

The side walls or flanges 18 and the transversely extending flanges 21form a column which extends from the front to the rear face or wall ofthe follower block, the said column is, as will be observed, from .Fig.3, preferably substantially rectangular in cross section. The uprightwal s of the column extending between and bracing the lateral edges ofthe two end walls, while the transversely extending flanges 21, whichform the upper and lowerfaces or walls of the column, extend from theupper and lower edges of the front face 14 to the points or places onthe rear face 15 where the load is transmitted to or from, as the casemay be, the cushioning mechanlsm.

The alined slots 19, 19 in the side walls or upright flanges 18 may beconnected by a centrally arranged and apertured brace 22, whichpreferably extends from, and is connected to, the central portions ofthe front and rear walls 14 and 15,-respectively, of the follower block.7

To brace and strengthen them the' transversely extending flanges 21, areeach preferably provided with a plurality of vertically extendin webs 23which are located intermediate '0 e side walls 18. These webs menace 23extend from the outer faces of the flanges 21 to the portions of theadjacent end wall 15 which project above and below the points ofintersection of the same with the said flanges 21, A series ofvertically extending flanges 24 may be provided to connect the adjacentfaces of the flanges 21 to the opposite sides of'the centrally arrangedbrace 22, the said flanges 24 forming in effect continuations oftheflanges or webs 23. Each of the flanges 24 and the adjacent portions inthe side walls 18 may be provided with a plurality of alined openings25; the sides of the said opening are, however, preferably spaced fromboth the flanges 21 and the upper and lower faces of the brace 22 toprevent the material weakening of the said walls and flanges 24.

A follower block of the form heretofore described is advantageous inthat it pre sents to compressive stressin service a cross section ofgenerally rectangular form whose walls are so disposed as to resist mostoffectively and to transmit from face to face of the block, with theleast possible chance of distortion, the compressive strains to whichthe follower is subjected. It will also be perceived that by means ofinternal and external ribs this rectangular section has been so bracedthat all possible stresses to which the block may be subjected areadequately resisted by suflicient sections of Having now described myinvention al- I though it is to be understood that the oregoingdescription is merely illustrative of one embodiment of the invention,what 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a draft rigging, the combination with a coupler and cushioningmechanism, of a follower block provided with parallel spaced end walls,a plurality of webs for rigidly uniting said walls, said webs forming asubstantially rectangular column which extends between the adjacentfaces of said walls, and a centrally arranged apertured brace locatedintermediate some of said webs and rigidly connected to said end walls.

2. In a draft rigging, the combination with a coupler and cushioningmechanism,

of a follower for said cushioning mechaintermediate said upright webs,said upright webs each being provided with a key receiving slot.

3. A follower block for a railway draft rigging comprising end walls, aplurality of webs connecting said walls, said webs being arranged toform a substantially rectangular column, means for reinforcing saidcolumn, said means comprising a plurality of flanges extending inwardlyfrom some of the walls of the said column.

4. A follower block for railway draft rigging comprising a pair of endwalls, a plurality of upright webs connecting said walls, a plurality oftransverse webs extending between and connected to the said upright Websand to the said end walls, one of said end Walls having portions whichextend above and below the points of connection of the same with thesaid transversely extending webs, and a plurality of upright flangesformed on the outer faces of each of the said "transversely extendingwebs and connecting each webto the adjacent portion of the said endwall.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

DQNALD S. BARROWSB

